Beneath One Roof
by Soar the Sky
Summary: Sakura had always admired Syaoran from afar, until she saw that he was just like other guys, or so she thought. But what would happen when uncontrollable circumstances forced the two of them under one roof?
1. It's Only The Beginning

Ahh, I'm so sorry to any readers that enjoyed _It All Began With A Chatroom_. However, the writing sounded too juvenile and predictable to me, and so I ran out of inspiration for that story. Hopefully I'll do better on this one. I procrastinate so much that it's hard to remind myself to update.

* * *

**It's Only The Beginning**

It was a brisk winter evening. The tree branches were bare and shivering, desperately awaiting the warmth and cheer of spring. The snow had fallen earlier in the day, an apt beginning to the long winter break ahead.

A pair of sharp, beautiful, emerald eyes glistened as they watched little children running about, screaming and laughing merrily. Sakura smiled, and turned to her best friend, Yukimi.

"Aren't they adorable, Yuki? Just look at them. They have no cares in the world but the events of the next week and a half. They're free of school, and all the torture that it brings. If only the same could be said for us. Sure, our winter break starts in two days, but think of all the major exams we'll have to take before then." She groaned at the prospect.

Yukimi laughed and put her arm around Sakura. "Don't even worry about it, Sakura! You're the smartest girl in all of 10th grade. With the right amount of preparation, you'll completely ace your exams with flying colors."

"Oh, Yuki, you're not even the least bit worried about the exams, are you! I don't see how you can be so laidback about these matters, and yet do so brilliantly in your classes." Sakura sighed. "I mean, there's nothing good about school. Nothing at all. Sure, it helps us with our future, and gives us information to prepare us for whatever comes ahead. But we'd be able to relax and learn more, instead of stressing out about tests and assignments."

"Well, there is _one_ thing that's good about school." Yukimi laughed and nudged Sakura, then pointed in the direction of a group of 12th graders.

Sakura glanced in their direction, and smiled. _Syaoran Li_, she thought. _Definitely one of the better things about this school. It's a shame that a 10th grader like me is completely invisible to him and his friends. Not that they really matter_.

"Y'know, I think you should really go over and talk to him. He's in your English class, isn't he?"

"Yeah. The smartest guy in my English class, or rather, the smartest guy in the entire school. He has almost every girl in Toshimi High fawning over him. I don't think he needs someone else to add to the mix."

Yukimi smiled. "Well, he has talked to you once, right? That should give you some hope."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "He asked me if he could borrow a pen! I'd hardly consider that as affectionate encouragement." However, unable to resist herself, she glanced over at Syaoran. Her eyes lingered on him for a few seconds more. His face was mostly made up of serious features, showing signs of hard work and a lack for any nonsense. However, his eyes betrayed everything else. Sakura knew that they were more than just amber eyes. Syaoran's eyes contained his emotions, and they had the power to make a girl melt, or intimidate even a teacher. She had never seen him smile, though she knew he had the ability to, seeing as how his friends were so good-natured and happy. It must be to them, and only them, that he showed a softer side.

She sighed and turned back to Yukimi. "Oh, I just wish I had the courage to go over there and say hi to him. But I'm sure it'll be like I'm not even there. Anyway, he's graduating this year and going off to college, so maybe I'll be able to get my mind off of him once he's not around to remind me."

"Sakura, that's not a good excuse! And since you bring up that point, what's the harm in saying hello? There's nothing to lose, since he's leaving Toshimi High and going on to pursue other things, possibly in another region of Japan. He might even go back to China, who knows?"

Sakura groaned, but thought about what Yukimi said. _She does have a point… but I'm just so shy! Ugh, why do high school and boys give girls like us so much grief? Well, I should go over and talk to him. Yes. Say hello, maybe even flirt a little? Like Yuki said, what do I have to lose?_ She hesitated and took a few steps towards the group of 12th graders, then turned back around, scurried over to Yukimi, and dragged her in the opposite direction towards Yukimi's house. _Then again, another day is just fine._

* * *

"Syaoran, you need to have some kind of perspective on your future. You're so smart, you can be anything you want to be!"

Syaoran gave a sideway glance to his best friend, Eriol. He sighed, looked down, and kept walking.

Their group had split up a while ago. The guys had suggested going to the pizzeria and maybe playing some video games at the new game station in Tomoeda, as a way to christen the beginning of the break. They had claimed that this break was "ten glorious days of freedom, relaxation, and getting some babes".

If only Syaoran could think of the winter break as a way to "escape" from school. But the truth was that school was the real distraction for him. Strange as it was, he felt more comfortable at school, knowing what he was doing and the next classes he'd be going to. Who he would see, who he would talk to. With the break coming, it meant that winter would soon be coming to a close, and then spring would begin. That was too close for comfort, since it also meant that he had to decide on what colleges to apply to, and what he wanted to major in. Therefore, his parents would be pushing him more and more to decide on what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

It was an uncomfortable thought, and as much as Syaoran wanted to push it away, he knew he couldn't keep dodging that responsibility forever. As Eriol had so gently put it, Syaoran could do almost anything. There was no one subject that he excelled in more than the other. But that was the problem. He'd give anything to exceed in one subject, to have complete devotion and passion to one thing that he knew he could be great at, instead of having a million things to choose from. Being a "genius", as his friends called him, wasn't such an easy thing to deal with.

"So", Eriol said, interrupting Syaoran's thoughts, "where do you want to go now?"

Syaoran contemplated this for a moment, and then decided he wanted some alone time. He'd have plenty of it over the break, that was for sure, but he didn't really feel like rejoicing that fact. "I think I'll just head on home."

"Aw, you're such a bore. C'mon, have some fun! I mean, Tomoyo suggested that we could maybe go catch a movie, if you weren't up to doing anything exciting."

Tomoyo and Eriol had been together for two years now. She was also a senior at their school. Syaoran had never seen two people more in love than those two. Love was a very tricky term, but in their case, it was the only thing to describe what they had. Unlike all the other girls Eriol had dated in the past, Tomoyo was gentle, and sweet. She was also incredibly beautiful, in a very fragile sort of way, while all of Eriol's exes could only be labeled as "hot", a word that Syaoran found a bit demeaning.

In short, Tomoyo was the exact opposite of Eriol, who was anything but gentle and sweet. He was the comedian of their group, and he could be very rude, but Tomoyo brought out the best in him. If Syaoran weren't so dead set against relationships and girls in general, he'd almost find it endearing.

Syaoran shook his head. "I'd rather not be a third wheel, but thanks. You two should go anyway, and have fun there without me tagging around."

"You wouldn't be the third wheel! Honestly, don't—"

"Really, Eriol. It's okay. I need to think about some things anyway. I'm not really in the mood to celebrate. Maybe we'll go out somewhere tomorrow or something."

Eriol saw the intense look on Syaoran's face, and he knew that his best friend had some things to think about. Eriol figured it was best to leave Syaoran alone for now, since he knew that Syaoran was having trouble with colleges and the prospect of his future in general.

"Alright then, I'll see you soon."

Syaoran nodded and waved slightly. "Yeah, see you."

After Eriol had left, Syaoran turned in the direction of his house and started walking as slowly as he possibly could. He was hardly in a rush to get home, and it was nice to just contemplate things while he was out here, alone, with nature surrounding him on all sides. As he walked, he noticed how peaceful the silence was. Silence that was soon to be interrupted.

* * *

"BYEEEE YUKI! I'LL SEE YOU ON SUNDAY!" Sakura smiled and waved at her friend as she walked out of the house and down the steps. She then turned and started walking home, until she felt the strange feeling of someone's eyes upon her. She turned around, and her own emerald eyes widened in surprise. She was looking at none other than Syaoran Li.

He glanced back at her, and his normally intense amber eyes seemed flat at the moment. Sakura hoped it wasn't because of the sight of her.

Biting her lip, she nervously and slowly raised her hand up in the air, signaling a wave. "Um… hi!"

Syaoran raised an eyebrow and said, "Hi." _Hmm, she looks familiar._

Sakura uncertainly smiled, wondering if that was a friendly "hi" or leave-me-alone "hi". "Which direction are you going in?"

Syaoran pointed directly in front of him. Sakura smiled and said, "Oh, same."

The two of them walked awkwardly side-by-side. Actually, it was awkward for Sakura, since Syaoran seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Sakura sighed. No doubt he was thinking about how he had some dorky 10th grader walking next to him.

Sakura was wrong, though. Syaoran was still lost in his own thoughts, already forgetting about the girl that walked alongside him, glancing up at him every few seconds to see if his expression had changed, which it hadn't.

They continued walking in silence for the next five minutes, until Sakura reached her house. She decided that now was as good of a time as ever to say something.

"Well, here I am. This conversation has been truly stimulating."

Syaoran looked up, startled and unaware of how much time had passed since anyone had spoken. "Oh… yeah. I had some things on my mind. I'm not the best of company."

Sakura smiled on the inside. _That's been the most he's ever said to me, and was that an apology of sorts for the silence?_ She turned and glanced at the old, wooden door of her home, and then turned back around.

"Okay then. Well, bye! I'll see you arou—"

Syaoran had already walked off without so much as a word. He was already half a block away, still looking dazed out and contemplative. Sakura frowned. _Well, that was a bit rude. And I made an attempt to talk to him too!_

She sighed. At least she had had the courage to get it over with, and Syaoran didn't seem all that interesting up close. She walked up the steps to her porch, then smiled and shook her head. After all she had built him up to be, he was really just a regular guy, and he didn't seem as deep as she believed him to be.

Or so she thought.

* * *

Well, there goes the end of the first chapter! Sort of, anyway. It's really more of a prologue. You'll just have to stick around to see what happens, hehe. So anyway, please read and review! I hope you enjoy this story. :) 


	2. The Ceremony

Ah, I'm so incredibly sorry that it took so long to update! I was actually writing this story, but stopped for a few months. I just got so sidetracked by school and other issues in my life. But anyway, I hope you're all not too mad. ;P

Oh, and thank you for the reviews! It means a lot to me, and hopefully, I can reach your standards in terms of this story, hehe. If I stumble upon a writer's block somewhere near the future, I will be _mad_. Anyway, on with the second, uh, "installment".

* * *

**The Ceremony**

Many months had passed since Sakura's encounter with Syaoran. She hadn't thought much about it, and preferred not to think of him and his rudeness. Had she known he had bigger things on his mind than being polite and kind, she wouldn't have looked so harshly upon him.

Sakura's winter break had gone wonderfully, as she spent a lot of time with Yuki and her other friends. Sakura's brother, Touya, had also come home from grad school to spend time with Sakura and her father, Fujitaka. Sakura had frowned and made a fuss about Touya coming home, but in truth, she was glad to see her older brother. It had been too long since they had all gotten together. In fact, it had almost been a year.

She had pushed any thoughts for Syaoran in the back of her mind, and he was soon nearly forgotten. However, from time to time, she still glanced at him in English class, while her teacher was busy droning on and on about some useless event that she couldn't have cared less about.

Syaoran always seemed so... distracted. Sakura had wondered what was on his mind, but she mentally shook herself and reminded herself that it was probably something unimportant, like what party to attend out of sheer boredom.

The preparation period arrived sooner than expected, and Sakura found herself preoccupied with work and studying. She was determined to do well on her tests. Her future depended largely upon it.

When the exams came flooding in, she did well for the most part. However, with more difficult subjects like English or Advanced Algebra, Sakura felt herself sitting in her seat, invisible question marks flying around her head. Still, surprisingly enough, she managed to get by.

When the exams were returned to the students, Sakura found herself faced with countless As. Even in her two lower subjects, she had managed to get an A- and a B. She was proud enough of that fact.

* * *

The time for graduation came sooner than expected for the seniors. Syaoran was worried about this moment the most. On his exams, as predicted, he had scored straight As. In fact, he was the first person listed on the honor roll. This was almost expected of him each year, so he held no real pride in it.

He had received letters from all the colleges he had applied to, and had been accepted to each and every single one. But he still had no idea what to do.

The night before the graduation ceremony was to occur, all the seniors were taking up room in fancy restaurants, celebrating their last day as high school students. Places were buzzing with happy chatter.

However, Syaoran stood at home, staring at himself in his door-length mirror. He was wearing the robe that had been sent to him, as well as all the other seniors that were graduating.

He frowned at his reflection, and gave a sigh of aggravation. The person staring back at him looked so calm and self-assured, which was a far cry from the troubled and confused mess that was truly standing there.

Syaoran sat down on his bed and looked around his room. Everything was neatly organized due to his cleanliness, a trait that had been picked up from his mother. The only wall that was a bit unruly was the wall containing a bulletin board of pictures. Photographed memories. In a way, they were the happiest memories of his life, and he wondered if they would be the only ones he'd ever have.

Syaoran put his cap on and swung the tassel to the back, then rubbed his forehead in frustration. He took another look in the mirror.

"Well, Syaoran," said the reflection, "you'd better get ready for the day of reckoning."

* * *

It was the day of the graduation ceremony for all the seniors of Toshimi High. Groups of grinning students posed for pictures, ones that most of them would cherish forever. This was their final day before freedom ensued, and the joy of college and independence began!

Syaoran sat on his assigned spot, frowning. He was the only one that wasn't rejoicing in this day, while everyone around him laughed and shook hands with one another, reminiscing about the old days. Didn't they realize that life had only just begun? College wasn't as easy as they thought. Decisions couldn't be made as quickly as these seniors would anticipate.

A hand slapped on Syaoran's shoulder, and a deep voice jokingly said, "Well well well, if it isn't the happiest near-graduate of all. Why, you're celebrating more than anyone else here."

"Oh come on, Eriol. These people shouldn't be having so much fun. Don't they see that all the difficult things are yet to come?"

Eriol laughed and pushed his bangs back in a lighthearted manner. "Hey, this is our last day of being under one school all together. I mean, who knows? We might end up going our separate ways."

"If only I was that lucky," Syaoran grumbled, smiling slightly despite himself.

A beautiful girl with large, haunting eyes and a timid smile walked up slowly next to them. Eriol turned and grinned before picking the girl up and spinning her around. The girl laughed and then turned to Syaoran, waving slightly. "Hi, Syaoran."

Syaoran smiled and said, "Hey Tomoyo."

Eriol grinned from ear-to-ear ecstatically. "Can you believe it, Tomoyo? Our last day in high school, and then it's off to college we go!"

Syaoran cocked one eyebrow inquisitively. Eriol scratched his head sheepishly, and coughed. "Uh, yeah, we're going to the same college."

"Really? That's… so… well… that's…"

Tomoyo laughed lightly. "Don't worry, we didn't do it on purpose or anything. It's just that Tomoeda University has a very good creative writing major, which is perfect for me. And the humanities of liberal arts department is almost world-renowned, and you know how Eriol is about his history and oh-so-philosophical ideas."

"Well, as long as the two of you are doing what you really want to do, then I think it's a great path for the future."

Eriol plopped down onto the seat next to Syaoran. "So, my buddy, my old pal. Have you finally decided on a college yet, out of all the many prestigious ones you were accepted into?"

Syaoran sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Nope, no luck yet. Hopefully the upcoming month will be enough for me to make up my mind."

Eriol gaped in horror. "Are you serious? Spending your summer deciding on a college? No way. You'd better decide within a week or something, because we'll be spending the summer having a blast. It's our last chance for an immature, juvenile vacation, and I plan to do it right!"

Syaoran nodded absentmindedly. "Hmm… yeah… we'll see."

The principal stepped up onto the outdoor podium that was a few yards away, and tapped the microphone. He cleared his throat and gave a stern look to all the students that were scattered across the park.

"Okay, kids, let's get this show on the road. The quicker it's done, the faster you can start goofing off without me caring."

There were a few laughs as students made their way to their designated seats. Eriol smiled and patted Syaoran on the shoulder, before he and Tomoyo made their way to their seats.

Syaoran sighed. _Okay, let's get this over with._

* * *

Sakura sighed and fidgeted in her seat, before checking her watch. She was seated much further back in one of the seats in the park. The principal had said earlier on the loudspeakers that any students that wanted to see the graduation—and get a sneak peek of what they'd be experiencing when they were graduating—could miss classes.

Sakura didn't really see the point, but Yukimi had dragged her to go, claiming that anything was better than learning about Advanced Algebra. And so now, here she was, sitting impatiently and being bored out of her mind.

Yukimi had told Sakura to save her a seat, as she would be a little late. It was pretty irritating. Many students obviously loved the opportunity of missing classes, and so they came to witness this incredibly exciting graduation. Therefore, Sakura had had to fight to hold onto Yukimi's seat. Literally. She examined her finger, wincing at the small, stinging cut that was slashed on her knuckle.

Suddenly, Yukimi popped up out of nowhere, grinning and out of breath. She sank into the seat.

"Hey! Thanks for saving one; it must've been hard."

"Yeah, it sure was," Sakura grumbled, looking at the cut again. "And where have you been?"

"Oh, just… somewhere." Yukimi grinned mischievously, and Sakura peered at her suspiciously.

"You had better explain! I have a severely grazed knuckle here that has your troublesome name written all over it!"

Yukimi looked at the scratch, and then smiled apologetically. "Oh, it's just a little cut. Anyway, the ceremony has started, I don't want to miss more!"

Sakura frowned, and turned to face the podium again. The countless speeches and "proud moments of joy" that teachers expressed was a little more than she could take. _Really, at this point, I'd even choose mathematical functions and graphs over this._ She yawned and looked at her watch. They were only 20 minutes into the ceremony. _Oh, this will take forever_.

Before she knew it, she was awoken from being nudged—or rather, jabbed viciously—in the ribs with Yukimi's elbow. "C'mon, wake up. They're announcing your man!"

Sakura yawned, and at that precise moment, the principal said in a clear voice, "Syaoran Li!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and turned to Yukimi. "My man? Please! The guy barely said any words to me, and then just bolted when I turned around. How cruel."

Syaoran walked onstage at that moment and took his diploma, smiling at the principal and shaking hands with some of the professors. Sakura frowned. Syaoran's smile was fake. She didn't know him, but she had observed him over the past few years. _Okay, that sounded quite scary and stalker-ish._ _Still,_ she thought to herself, _of all of Syaoran's expressions, this one I can tell._

It was true. At that precise moment, Syaoran had forced a smile on his face, but inside, this was the moment he had dreaded, of course. He walked down the stairs and headed back towards his seat. He couldn't stand the thought of graduation. Not only because he had received a diploma and didn't know what to do, but also because…

"And now, it is time for our valedictorian to give a grand speech. As you may know, Syaoran Li has been a well-accomplished student with high standards and morals. Not only has he graduated with the top scores of anyone in his class, but he has also been a very helpful addition to this school over the years. For that, the faculty and I are very proud of him. So, without further adieu, Syaoran Li, your very own senior graduate representative!"

There were loud whoops and cheers as Syaoran rose, his hands shaking a little. He walked onto the platform slowly and faced the expectant students. Though he saw Eriol beaming at him, and Tomoyo smiling in her timid, encouraging way, he felt as though he was alone, and the only faces that were staring back at him were those of strangers; people he'd never met in his life, and people that didn't—and wouldn't—sympathize for his situation.

Syaoran cleared his throat and looked at the speech he'd typed up, which was now in front of him. The words that he had spent hours laboring over were now swimming in a black pool of ink, and he couldn't see anything. He cleared his throat again and looked up, smiling nervously. Hundreds of expectant eyes looked back at him, almost burning holes into him.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. Syaoran was taking a long time to just get started, and that smile had become even more of a lie. She wondered what was going on, but then dismissed it as normal senior anxiety.

Syaoran finally opened his mouth and began.

"Well, um, this year has certainly been… eventful. It's hard to believe that just a few years ago, we entered Toshimi High as awkward, unsure freshmen. Actually, I'm sure some of us are still like that now." Here, he thought of himself, but everyone else thought he meant it as a joke, and small titters of laughter echoed across the park.

"Everyone likes to think that they have their whole life all planned out, but that's not true. You can't determine everything in life. It's all a matter of what course you choose to take, and how you'll take it. All we can hope for in life is to make the decision that's best for us. It's not the right decision, or the wrong decision. It's just a choice that we make on our own, without needing anyone else." Some of the seniors nodded approvingly at this.

Syaoran then blinked, and the meaning of his words sunk in. He had to do what was best for him. He couldn't worry about what his parents thought, or what would look best on a job application. He had to do what he wanted to do, for better or for worse.

After this realization, the rest of the speech seemed to breeze by easily. Syaoran found himself relaxing, and the words just flowed naturally out of his mouth, instead of simply being read from a piece of slightly crumpled paper. Sakura noticed the change, and smiled despite herself.

"On a final note, I'd like to congratulate the seniors on getting this far." At this, Syaoran patted himself on the back and the seniors smiled. "It's pretty difficult to make it, no matter what people may think. We'll always have the hard times with us, but we'll have the good times too. So we have to make those good memories count."

With this, Syaoran smiled. It was a truly genuine smile, and one that also made almost all of the senior girls—and one particular sophomore, despite her declarations of dislike—sigh. Syaoran then bowed his head slightly before turning and walking off the podium. The senior class then rose and erupted into cheers.

The principal rose from his seat and walked to the podium. He leaned forward into the microphone, smiled, and said, "Well, this is what you've all been waiting for. This is the end of your high school years, and the start of the beginning of your life!"

And with that, the ceremony was over.

It would be another two years before Sakura Kinomoto would ever set her eyes on Syaoran Li again, and when she did, it would come at a most unanticipated time.

* * *

I'll definitely try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible! Though, knowing me, it'll probably come in the summer of next year or something. Gah. Anyway, I'd appreciate it if, after reading this chapter, you could possibly leave a review. That'd make me very happy. 


	3. Too Unpredictable For Words

Wellll, it's official. I suck. I've come to accept the fact that despite my declarations of updating this story as frequently as possible, I will always slack off. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the readers don't even remember this story anymore. Life is so busy for me these days.

Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews. It really means a lot! Every time I read a review, I feel all happy inside. And it really does help me to improve as a writer, because I know what to work on, and what my specialty is.

* * *

**Too Unpredictable For Words**

_Two years later..._

Sakura sighed as she pushed open the doors of Toshimi High and left the school. Trudging along the sidewalk, she glanced at her wristwatch, and yet another sigh escaped from her lips.

She knew that she'd be alone at home. It was a dreadful sort of feeling. Touya hardly ever visited at all, ever since he had fully graduated from college. He was off trying to make his way into the business world, and she hadn't seen him once this year yet.

Sakura's father, Fujitaka, was in America for the year, teaching archaeology courses in some prestigious college. He had been incredibly reluctant to take the job. After all, Fujitaka didn't want to leave his daughter at home by herself, with no one to watch over her and take care of her.

However, Sakura's statements of reassurance and pleas for Fujitaka to take the job were enough to send him on his way. Sakura knew that she would be a bit lonely, but this was a big chance for her father. She didn't want him to miss it on her account.

The only one that ever really visited her these days was Yukimi. Yukimi always fussed over Sakura and insisted on coming over in the evenings and cooking dinner for the two of them. It was sweet, but Sakura knew that Yukimi had a lot on her mind as well. Not only were there college acceptances to contend with, but Yukimi also had a boyfriend.

The day of the seniors' graduation ceremony, two years ago, Yukimi had gone to her Japanese History teacher's classroom to retrieve her camera from her locker (no doubt to take pictures of Syaoran and use them to tease Sakura). Mr. Sanao, Yukimi's history teacher, was on his lunch break during that time, but he left the room open for anyone that needed to get their things.

Unfortunately, Yukimi's locker had gotten jammed, and though she had tried her best to open it, the locker door wouldn't budge. One of her classmates, Ryo Hanasaka, had come in at that precise moment, no doubt to retrieve something from his locker as well. Seeing Yukimi in dire need of help, he went over to her and managed to open the locker door simply by banging against it several times.

The two of them had gotten to talking, and Ryo confessed that he had had a crush on Yukimi for the whole year that they were in Mr. Sanao's class together. Yukimi decided to give Ryo a chance, and so she agreed to go out on a date with him.

The rest was history, and Sakura was very happy for the two of them. Ryo was very sweet, and he was always a gentleman. In all honesty, Ryo was quite attractive too, so Sakura could see that Yukimi had gotten herself quite a catch.

Sakura didn't mind not having a boyfriend, despite being a senior in high school. She knew that there were more important things to focus on than relationships at that point. However, the prospect of a relationship always led her to think about Syaoran.

Yukimi was always up for gossip, and she had heard that Syaoran had decided to go to Tomoeda University. He was currently taking a double major, which was English and Philosophy.

Personally, Sakura couldn't understand how anyone would choose to take a double major. Wasn't one stressful enough?

She wasn't looking forward to college at all. She had absolutely no idea what the path to her future would be like. In fact, Sakura preferred not to think of things like this, despite the fact that she had submitted applications to several colleges. She had a vague idea of what she would want to focus on in college, but she was unsure, and the thought of a blurry future was something that scared her more than anything else.

As Sakura rounded the corner that led to the beginning of her block, she saw rings of dark smoke spiraling through the air and dissolving high into the sky. There were also several fire trucks parked around this street, and firemen rushed back and forth. She frowned. _What's going on?_

All of a sudden, she realized that the smoke was coming from the same area as her house, and she gasped in shock. Running with all of her might, Sakura quickly reached the front of her house, where she halted, traumatized and disbelieving.

The house was up in flames, and firemen were grabbing hoses and doing their best to put out the fire that had spread all around the house. Neighbors stood nearby, whispering in distressed voices.

Sakura opened her mouth, trying to cry, to yell, to scream… anything. Instead, she found that she couldn't talk, and she felt like she was having a panic attack. Suddenly, Sakura felt lightheaded, and gravity itself seemed to stop for an instant. The earth seemed to slant towards her, and she felt a rush of wind as she toppled onto the ground. Then, everything went black.

* * *

Everything seemed so dim to Sakura. All she could make out was wailing, a siren accompanied by flashes of red light, and a concerned voice. The next thing she knew, everything became brighter and sharper. A face loomed over hers. Sorrowful light brown eyes looked down at her, and Sakura blinked rapidly. It was Yukimi.

"Oh, Sakura! You must have been too overwhelmed to handle what happened." At this, Yukimi grabbed Sakura and hugged her so tightly that Sakura felt like what little oxygen she had left was slowly seeping out of her.

"Yuki—I—I—I can't—"

Sakura gasped for air, and Yukimi quickly let go, her face flushed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I was just so concerned. You have no idea how scared I was when I saw all of those firemen, and all of that smoke. I was afraid that you—that you—"

At this, it seemed that Yukimi could say no more, and she looked away, tears forming in her eyes.

Sakura realized that she was still lying on the cold, cemented ground. Hesitantly, she perched her elbows on the gravel. It seemed that she had become incredibly weak. With all of her might, she pushed herself up to a sitting position.

She opened her mouth, but a hoarse, croaking sound was all that came out. She cleared her throat and tried speaking again. "Yuki, what... what happened?"

Yukimi turned back towards her, and she sighed sadly. "Oh, Sakura… it appears that one of the pipes in your basement became overloaded with pressure, and it malfunctioned. The gas leaked out, and well, you know how you have that scented candle in your kitchen? The gas just floated up, and… I suppose you can figure out the rest. The firemen did their best to put out the fire as quickly as possible, but… I'm so sorry… the house has been destroyed. The firemen were only able to save a few things from the wreckage."

Sakura gaped. The information was still processing through her mind, but a few words penetrated her other thoughts and repeated themselves over and over in her mind. _House... destroyed... few things... wreckage..._ She suddenly felt lightheaded again, and she put her hand to her forehead.

Yukimi looked alarmed. "Clearly, you're still a little faint! Maybe you should get some rest." She helped Sakura up, and Sakura stood shakily.

She should feel her legs trembling, and she felt that she would lose what little energy she had left and fall to the ground. However, before this could happen, Yukimi draped Sakura's arm over her shoulder. She turned to Sakura.

"I think that you should stay at my place for a few days, at least until this is all settled."

"But how? You and your mother share a tiny apartment as it is."

Yukimi bit her bottom lip, and her forehead creased as she thought for a moment. Finally, she said, "I guess you can just share the bed with me. Or, you can sleep in my bed, and I'll just sleep on the couch. It's really okay with me."

"Yuki, no! That's such an imposition to you. I really can't do that at all."

It was this very statement that seemed to make up Yukimi's mind. "That's it, Sakura, you're sleeping on my bed. End of discussion. You're in no condition to be sleeping on a couch, and it's really fine by me."

"But—"

"Shush! As I said, end of discussion."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it again. She smiled, and gave Yukimi a one-armed hug.

"Thank you," she whispered gratefully.

* * *

Sakura had been staying at Yukimi's house for a week. Yukimi's mother, Araki, was more than happy to help Sakura out. The two had been fussing over her, offering her food, asking if she was okay, fluffing her pillows whenever they thought that she wasn't looking. Sakura was touched, but she felt that it was a large inconvenience to kick Yukimi out of her own room.

Her father had called as soon as he had heard of the news, and he had been going on for two hours about how worried he was when he heard. At first, he had almost had a heart attack, because he had thought that Sakura was in the house when this happened. After Sakura's endless reassurances that she was okay, he sighed, relieved.

Fujitaka then said that though the house wasn't completely burned down, almost all of their belongings were gone. It would take several months to rebuild their house, and in the meantime, Sakura should find somewhere else to stay. Fujitaka also said that an old friend of his had offered a place for Sakura to live, and though Fujitaka had been reluctant at first—he claimed that his friend was a little strange—this person had insisted.

Sakura didn't mind. She was a bit nervous, but it was too much to ask Yukimi to allow Sakura to stay in their apartment for months. Her father said that his friend would be coming to meet her in a week. This call had taken place on the first night of Sakura's stay at Yukimi's. Sakura would now be meeting her soon-to-be temporary guardian today, at noon, which was in an hour.

Sakura bit her lip and got up from Yukimi's bed, where she had been sitting for the last few hours. She hadn't gotten much sleep at all… three hours, if she was lucky. Sakura was just incredibly nervous. At first, it hadn't seemed like such a big deal, but now, it had just hit her all at once. She was about to live with a stranger for four or five months, and she had never heard about this person at all. Oh no, there were no butterflies in her stomach. Instead, there were flying elephants.

On a normal basis, three hours of sleep wouldn't have sufficed for Sakura to last any longer than five hours throughout the day. However, her nerves were keeping her up. She suspected that had she consumed a caffeinated drink, she would have been hopped up and prancing rapidly around the room the entire time. At the thought of this, Sakura grimaced. That was becoming a very tempting thing to do, because sitting here, close to the edge of panic, wasn't a thing that she coped with well.

There was a knock on the door, and then it creaked open as Yukimi poked her head in.

"Sakura," she started, looking a little worried and amused all at once, "are you okay? You look really… stressed out."

"What?" Sakura said. It came out like a high-pitched squeak. She sat back down on the bed.

Yukimi walked over and sat down next to Sakura. "Don't worry, everything will be fine! I mean, this person's a friend of your dad's. I'm sure that he or she will be very nice."

Sakura nodded. She had no doubt in her mind that this person would be nice, but she still felt nervous nonetheless. She had been thinking about this mysterious person the entire day. Was it a woman or a man? Did they have pets? Children? A significant other? Was their house large enough, or would Sakura be another inconvenience? All these questions made Sakura more nervous.

The two of them sat in silence. Time stretched on for what seemed like century upon century. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and that jolted them out of their daze.

Yukimi and Sakura walked out of Yukimi's room and into the living room area. Yukimi walked over to the door and pressed the buzzer next to it, which allowed people to enter the apartment when they reached the appropriate floor.

Sakura paced around and bit her thumb nail. So this was it. She'd finally meet her "guardian". Yukimi smiled reassuringly and patted Sakura on the shoulder. The two of them turned and looked at the door.

Then, there was a knock.

Yukimi looked at Sakura and smiled again as if to say, "Ready?" Sakura nodded back, and did her best to smile as well.

Yukimi walked over the door and opened it.

Suddenly, a chubby, kind-faced woman bounced in through the door and grinned. She looked at the two girls, and upon seeing Sakura, her face lit up instantly. Taking long strides, she stopped right in front of Sakura and grinned again. Sakura blinked uncertainly.

The woman gasped and put her hands to her face. "Oh, you're just too cute!!!" At that, she grabbed Sakura and pulled her into a gigantic hug. "You're just like how you look in your pictures, except… well, bigger, of course. Not to mention that you've grown into a beautiful young woman!"

As the woman rambled on and on, Sakura let out a little laugh. This woman was very kind and friendly, and Sakura was reassured. She knew that somehow, everything would be okay.

She wrapped her arms around the woman in return and smiled.

"Hello, I'm Sakura Kinomoto. It's very nice to meet you."

* * *

Haha, how slow am I? XD It's been three chapters, and I still haven't moved along to the romance part! Wellll, I'll get there soon enough. Um… I hope, haha. As of yet, there are no real cliffhangers, but you need to keep a lookout. There'll be a few coming up ahead. :D 

I don't know if I've said this, but I drew inspiration for this fanfiction from a Japanese drama called Itazura Na Kiss. So if you've read the manga or watched the drama, I think you'll get the gist of what this story's about. Still, I was just inspired. There are definitely many things in this fanfiction that are _not_ similar to the drama… and that's all I'll say for now. Teehee.


End file.
